When multi-talented Dom DeLuise is asked if there is anything he doesn’t do, he responds with his usual instant wit: “I don’t run fast.” His zest for life’and for food’is legendary. The fullness of his stature is matched only by the immensity of his pursuits over the years as an actor, comedian, singer, dancer, director, chef, radio host and children’s book author. Friends of Film will honor DeLuise with a lifetime achievement award at the Palisades Film Festival’s opening night reception on Thursday, May 11 at Chefmakers Cooking Academy. “We’re very proud to be honoring Dom, a real class act and a true living legend of the film and television world,” says Bob Sharka, executive director of Friends of Film. “I can’t think of a better place to hold this event, as Dom is a local guy who, like me, is no stranger in the kitchen.” DeLuise and his wife, the actress Carol Arthur, are longtime Palisadians. They raised their three sons Peter, Michael and David (all are in the entertainment business) in the Riviera ranch house they still call home’an energetic household filled with birds, tropical fish, family and friends, where three grandchildren now come to cavort. DeLuise served as honorary mayor of Pacific Palisades in 1984 and, over the years, he has brought his sparkling, lovable clown persona to the Fourth of July parade, serving as grand marshal in 1983. “My father used to yell and scream a lot,” says DeLuise, who switches to Italian and a deep baritone voice to imitate his father’s stern nature. Dom grew up in Brooklyn, where he was one of three children. “When he would leave, we would all be trembling and I’d make some sort of joke about him scaring us. This is when I first realized I could in fact make people laugh.” A graduate of Manhattan’s High School of the Performing Arts, he spent his summers at the Cleveland Playhouse, appearing in productions such as “Guys and Dolls,” “Kiss Me, Kate,” “Stalag 17,” and “Hamlet.” In 1961, DeLuise debuted on the New York stage in the off-Broadway hit production of “Little Mary Sunshine.” He met his wife Carol while appearing in a summer production of “Summer & Smirk” in Provincetown, Massachusetts. Eight off-Broadway shows later, he starred in the 1968 Broadway production of Neil Simon’s “Last of the Red Hot Lovers.” He first appeared on television as “Dominick the Great” on the “Garry Moore Show,” performing with his good friend Ruth Buzzi. Other television credits include a regular role on “The Entertainers” with Carol Burnett and Bob Newhart, 12 years on the “Dean Martin Show” and many memorable moments as guest host for Johnny Carson on the “Tonight Show.” He starred in his own show, “Dom DeLuise and Friends,” from 1983 to 1990. On the big screen, DeLuise debuted in Sydney Lumet’s 1964 film “Fail Safe.” On the recommendation of the late Anne Bancroft, Mel Brooks’s wife, DeLuise was cast in “The Twelve Chairs,” earning him a place in many of Brooks’s best comedies. He and his longtime buddy Burt Reynolds made a string of madcap comedies together including “Smokey and the Bandit II,” “Cannonball Run I & II” and “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.” “It was always great fun to work with Burt because you could ad lib,” DeLuise recalls. “I feel like Burt is my brother because we have so much fun together.” These days, DeLuise hosts his own radio cooking segment every Saturday on the syndicated show “On the House” with the Carey Brothers. His cookbooks'”Eat This,” “Eat This Too” and his latest “Eat This Again”‘ are bestsellers. He even has his own Web site, www.domdeluise.com, where he sends out monthly recipes and cooking tips to loyal fans and subscribers. His most recent children’s book is entitled “There’s No Place Like Home” and he continues to regularly lend his talent for voiceover to animated productions. “A lady once pinched my cheeks in an elevator and said ‘I’d like to make soup for you,'” Deluise says, confirming how he projects an image as everyone’s favorite uncle. “They wouldn’t do that to Burt Reynolds or Spencer Tracy,” he adds with a laugh. And given his multi-faceted career, how does he hope to be remembered? “They’re going to remember that I was round, that I was friendly, that I didn’t put anybody down when I did my jokes and there was the smell of garlic in my home at all times.” The Pacific Palisades Film Festival, now in its third year, will screen 20 films from May 11 through 13 at Pierson Playhouse, 941 Temescal Canyon Road. For more information, go online to www.FriendsofFilm.com.
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